Jennifer Smyth
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jensmyth.bsky.social
Jennifer Smyth
@jensmyth.bsky.social
4.5K followers 1.2K following 2K posts
Teaching, gardening, sewing, and nerdery.
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jensmyth.bsky.social
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What We're Bracing For Thanks to brave supporters in Congress and in the public, we have won one victory, the passage of the bill to release the Epstein files. But we know the battle is far from over. As we approach the release of the files, here is what we are bracing for: 1. Attempts to blame the victims for our own or each other's abuse. Years ago, Epstein got away with abusing us by portraying us as flawed and bad girls. We cannot let his enablers use this tactic to escape accountability now. Some of us were neglected children.Some of us were used to recruit other girls our age. These were tactics that Epstein and Maxwell used as they ensnared victims and they are standard tactics of all sex traffickers. These tactics reflect on them, not on us. 2. Incomplete disclosures. Other than redacting victim names, we want all the files disclosed. We ask our champions in Congress and in the public to continue fighting to make sure all materials are released, not selected ones. 3. Threats to our physical safety. Many of us have already received death threats and other threats of harm. We are bracing for these to escalate. We ask every federal and state law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over these threats to investigate them and protect us. (Cont’d on next copy of image) 4. Efforts to pull us apart. We are already hearing efforts to suggest that victims who had reached the age of 18 were not really victims anymore. We denounce this outrageous argument. Some of us were over 18 when we were victimized. Some were vulnerable because of childhood sexual abuse. Some were vulnerable because of poverty. Some of us were assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell and their accomplices using force, intimidation, and violence. All of us were vulnerable because of life circumstances our young selves faced that were manipulated by Epstein and Maxwell and for which we were targeted. A 20 or 22-year-old is no match for a forceful and determined pair of hardened, methodical, middle-aged predators. We reject any claim that once a girl turned 18 she was fair game. Epstein and Maxwell used predator tactics against us. Their methods varied from girl to girl and young woman to young woman, but the common thread is the devastation their abuse left behind in each of us. Those girls and young women are fully adult women now, and we stand together resolutely against any attempt to divide us.
November 21, 2025 at 8:58 PM
jensmyth.bsky.social
This part is especially interesting:
The FBI's report from August, prepared by its New York division, does not make clear how the bureau accessed the Signal group. The Signal platform, widely used by activists, is known for its end-to-end encryption; typically, the only way law enforcement can access messages is if they are directly included in the chat, are sent copies from a participant or have access to a member's unlocked phone. The FBI said the information came from a "sensitive source with excellent access" and introduced the report as a warning about "extremist actors targeting law enforcement officers and federal facilities" In "late May" ', an individual "participated in a debrief session held via a Signal call within the 'courtwatch' Signal groupchat", the FBI wrote, without identifying the individual or the specific group or organizations involved. That person "discussed how to improve future activities near federal facilities in New York City, including 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street and 290 Broadway" , the report continued, listing the addresses of three immigration courts in Manhattan.
November 21, 2025 at 5:02 PM
jensmyth.bsky.social
The moon at Kitty Hawk tonight. Love the beach in winter.
The moon (top) over the Atlantic Ocean by Kitty Hawk Pier. The moonlight is reflected in the water on the right and there is a blurry green buoy light in the lower left.
November 6, 2025 at 11:33 PM
jensmyth.bsky.social
With ALT. If ostensibly progressive folks perpetually in search of reskeets could be bothered to add it to their images, they could, perhaps, make a difference in encouraging folks to use ALT. Instead, they’re excluding disabled folks. Hence the “ostensibly.”
Jamie Dupree & @jamiedupree X.com Eight months ago, Rep. Sylvester Turner D-TX died. His seat in the U.S. House is still vacant. On Tuesday, two Dems advanced to a runoff for that seat. When is the runoff?? We don't know. That runoff date still must be set by Gov. Greg Abbott. Mehdi Hasan « @mehdirhasan X.com The GOP won't allow elections to happen. And when they do, they don't allow the winners to be sworn in and seated. Be very worried about 2026 and 2028. Be very worried. This is now an openly and proudly anti-democratic party.
November 6, 2025 at 11:24 PM
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三 WIRED Criminals posing as US immigration officers have carried out robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults in several states, warns a law enforcement bulletin issued last month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The
November 6, 2025 at 2:04 AM
jensmyth.bsky.social
With ALT
emptywheel (check) @empt... • 6h S You know who was working to protect minority Christians around the world? USAID. Pete Hegseth v @PeteHegseth • 1d Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria - and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is p... Donald J. Trump @realDonald Trump If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, "guns-a-blazing," to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!
November 3, 2025 at 4:30 AM
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Donald J. Trump 6 € @realDonaldTrump What's worse, the NBA Players cheating at cards, and probably much else, or the Democrats cheating on Elections. The 2020 Presidential Election, being Rigged and Stolen, is a far bigger SCANDAL. Look what happened to our Country when a Crooked Moron became our "President!" We now know everything. I hope the DOJ pursues this with as much "gusto" as befitting the biggest SCANDAL in American history! If not, it will happen again, including the upcoming Midterms. No mail-in or "Early" Voting, Yes to Voter ID! Watch how totally dishonest the California Prop Vote is! Millions of Ballots being "shipped." GET SMART REPUBLICANS, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!! 5.9k ReTruths 21.4k Likes 10/26/25, 2:26 PM
October 26, 2025 at 9:35 PM
jensmyth.bsky.social
With ALT for the quote within the quote below.
Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, had a surprise as he entered. Sitting on a dais was Mr. Farage, seemingly presiding over the event. "I did not know he was going to be there until I was in the room," Mr. Raskin said in an interview. (Snip unhighlighted) He was not just participating - he was hosting the event. It was a big moment for the A.D.F., which had secured his participation, (Snip) The group had worked behind the scenes for months to shape the agenda of the Congressional visit, privately briefing the U.S. lawmakers(Snip), helping organize precursor briefings between congressional staffers and British free speech organizations, and inviting speakers who were presenting arguments(…)against technology legislation and abortion clinic buffer zones. In his opening remarks, the Reform U.K. leader said that the United States and Britain shared a commitment to not only free speech, but also the promotion of "Judeo-Christian values," according to six people present. (Snip unhighlighted) "To be honest I don't think Farage does religion," said Bryn Harris, chief legal counsel for the Free Speech Union, who was present. "I think the main thing is that the buffer zone cases have really caught the imagination of some people in the U.S., and therefore when you want to talk about free speech to an American audience, that's often a good shorthand." To many present, the A.D.F's role as an essential trans-Atlantic conduit was undeniable - as was the developing alliance between the group and Reform U.K. "Thad a clear sense that we were also there to help Nigel Farage," Mr. Raskin said of the trip. "We were there to bolster his political fortunes and to make him the free speech hero of Europe." But ultimately, Mr. Raskin said, "the political themes and the legal cases that the A.D.F. invoked were the dominant messaging of our entire trip." "The trip solidified my impression that A.D.F. has been shaping Trump administration and MAGA policy toward Europe," he said.
October 19, 2025 at 1:03 AM
jensmyth.bsky.social
From quoted post, with ALT, because fuck Greg Sargent, who knows better at this point, and is either lazy, thinks himself too important to add his own ALT, or just doesn’t give a fuck about accessibility. Take your pick.
Swalwell said Democrats are exploring ways to tie funding for ICE to legislation that would bar officers from wearing masks — an issue that has galvanized Democrats amid the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration in U.S. cities. Senate Democrats recently introduced legislation that would require Homeland Security officials to wear visible ID cards and to prevent them from wearing face coverings that obscure their faces. But Swalwell said the ongoing discussions he's having with other Democrats would go further than that, making ICE funding contingent on first prohibiting masks. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said Democrats are discussing ways to prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from covering their faces when carrying out enforcement operations — should the party retake the majority in the 2026 midterm elections. "When we are in the majority, the masks are coming off," the California Democrat told The New Republic's Greg Sargent, in a report published Wednesday.
October 16, 2025 at 11:45 PM
jensmyth.bsky.social
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The tech platforms that promised to transform our attention spans succeeded, but only superficially. They created a new, much worse way of creating culture. A universe of dumbasses talking to other dumbasses, measured by numbers that don't make sense and don't reflect anything other than passive screen time. And they managed to convince conservatives to fully buy into this completely fake new reality. Who have only become more convinced in the last five years in their belief that this new kind of attention works like a commodity. That it can be hoarded and monopolized. (It can, but only by the platforms that run it.) That you can hire the biggest idiots you can find, make them transmit your slop from the most important institutions in the world, and as long as it's as stupid and hateful and ugly as possible, you can trust that the algorithms will do what they're programmed to. And it will "work" up until the minute we realize it doesn't and never did.
October 14, 2025 at 9:41 AM
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• PoSt t matthew. hat repostet Folgen @CasualArtyFan As the Fort Bragg food bank runs out of registration spots due to increased demand, this is a great option for Soldiers across the force. Post bersetzen Stephen B. Simmons #@DASW_MCFP • 3 T The Exchange Credit Program (the Military Star Card) is offering a 3-month, 0% interest and no payments on all commissary purchases from October 1-31. Applies to all commissary locations and is available to both new and existing Militar... DIRECTOR/CEO NEWSLETTER SPECIAL EDITION MILITARY STAR CARD PROVIDES IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL RELIEF FOR ALL COMMISSARY PURCHASES MADE IN OCTOBER Through Oct. 31, service members and their families will receive three months of 0% interest and no payments on all Defense Commissary Agency purchases when using a MILITARY STAR, card. This limited time offer has no minimum or maximum purchase limit, applies to all commissaries worldwide and is available to existing and new cardholders. This added support is underwritten by nonapproriated funds through the Exchange Credit Program, a Department of War credit program established by Congress that provides responsible and affordable credit solutions to the military community. According to Bankrate, the MILITARY STAR card offers the lowest everyday unsecured APR of all store credit cards available today. Authorized military personnel (including active-duty, Guard, Reserve, retirees and disabled Veterans) can find out more by visiting MyECP.com. It is truly an honor to serve those who serve. Deine Antwort posten
October 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
jensmyth.bsky.social
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Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement: The baseless indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James is part of Donald Trump's corrupt weaponization of the criminal justice system against anyone who has sought to hold him accountable. Attorney General James has courageously been at the forefront of successfully challenging the Trump administration's lawless and deeply unpopular overreach. At all times, she has followed the facts, applied the law and been guided by the Constitution. The malicious prosecution of Attorney General James has no legitimate basis in law or fact, was brought by a corrupt political hack and will not survive scrutiny in a Court of Law. Donald Trump continues to disgrace the presidency and the Department of Justice. Those sycophants who aid and abet the President's vengeful schemes will not be able to hide from the serious legal consequences of their behavior. They will be held accountable.
October 10, 2025 at 3:56 AM
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Acyn y @Acyn 0... Pritzker: They brought blackhawk military helicopters and more than 100 agents in full tactical gear, even though it was supposedly a very dangerous and important mission, they brought dozens of cameras and set them up so that they could film their attack on the building in HD CHICAGO 2:21 PM > BREAKING NEWS 0:28 GOV. PRITZKER: TRUMP HAS MADE US LESS SAFE TONIGHT 9 PM ET ILLINOIS GOV. JB PRITZKER &MSNBC REPORTS 1:26 PM • Oct 6, 2025 • 30.2K Views
October 6, 2025 at 9:04 PM
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Stephen Miller @StephenM•3h .. The issue before is now is very simple and clear. There is a large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country. It is well organized and funded. And it is shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors and attorneys general. The only remedy is to use legitimate state power to dismantle terrorism and terror networks. Stephen Miller @@StephenM • 3h This is domestic terrorism and seditious insurrection. a Bill Melugin @@BillMelugin_ •3h BREAKING: DHS announces federal agents in Broadview, IL were rammed & boxed in by 10 cars, including a woman armed w/ a semi-automatic gun who had posted online threats to "fuck up" ICE & wa... Show more ilil 641K只企
October 5, 2025 at 3:33 AM
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Stephen Miller @StephenM Legal insurrection. The President is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, not an Oregon judge. Portland and Oregon law enforcement, at the direction of local leaders, have refused to aid ICE officers facing relentless terrorist assault and threats to life. (There are more local law enforcement officers in Oregon than there are guns and badges in the FBI nationwide). This is an organized terrorist attack on the federal government and its officers, and the deployment of troops is an absolute necessity to defend our personnel, our laws, our government, public order and the Republic itself. Joyce Alene & @JoyceWhiteVance • 1h 1/ Judge Immergut just granted a restraining order that prevents Trump's mobilization of the Oregon National Guard in Portland. IMMERGUT, District Judge. This case involves the intersection of three of the most fundamental principles in our constitutional democracy. The first concerns the relationship between the federal government and the states. The second concerns the relationship between the United States armed forces and domestic law enforcement. The third concerns the proper role of the judicial branch in ensuring that the executive branch complies with the laws and limitations imposed by the legislative branch. Whether we choose to follow what the Constitution mandates with respect to these three relationships goes to the heart of what it means to live under the rule of law in the United States. 6:26 PM • Oct 4, 2025 • 30.3K Views
October 5, 2025 at 3:31 AM
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Barak Ravid @BarakRavid An Israeli official said Netanyahu was surprised by President Trump's response In consultations Netanyahu held on Friday - after Hamas' response and before Trump's announcement - he stressed that he views Hamas' response as a rejection of Trump's plan, the Israeli official said The Israeli official noted that Netanyahu emphasized in those consultations the need to coordinate with the U.S. on their response so as to ensure it does not become established that Hamas answered positively to the U.S. plan The official added that the Israeli negotiations team handling the hostage issue actually viewed Hamas' response as a positive reaction that opens a pathway to reaching a deal Barak Ravid @BarakRavid • 31m * Trump tells Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas responds to peace plan Why it matters: This is the first time since returning to office that Trump has tried to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the fighting. My report o... 5:01 PM • 03 Oct 25 • 16.2K Views
October 3, 2025 at 10:56 PM
jensmyth.bsky.social
"DHS law enforcement uses 'reasonable suspicion' to make arrests,* " Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S. - NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity." McLaughlin did not address why Venegas was detained twice even though he's a U.S. citizen. The new lawsuit describes repeated raids on workplaces despite agents having no warrants nor suspicion that specific workers were in the U.S. illegally, and a string of U.S. citizens - many with Latino-sounding names - who were detained.
October 3, 2025 at 3:01 AM
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A senior Mamdani adviser tells me that internal campaign polling shows that attacking Trump's abuses along these lines resonates favorably for Mamdani. Research conducted this month found that a large majority of New York voters- 65 percent-see messaging as "convincing" when it criticizes the prospect of Trump sabotaging the election for Cuomo and attacks his Justice Department's dropping of corruption charges against Adams, also a Trump ally. The adviser says this message particularly appeals to working-class voters across many nationalities and demographic groups. This counters the oft-suggested idea that focusing on Trump's lawlessness is a "distraction" from issues that working people "really" care about.
October 2, 2025 at 10:50 PM
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Paul Yacoubian @PaulYacoubian • 1d Just found out if you try to delete your Sora app account you will lose your chatgpt account and be banned forever from signing up again. Deleting your account is permanent and cannot be undone. All your data, including profile, conversations, and API usage across ChatGPT and Sora, will be removed. You cannot reuse the same email or phone number for a new account. If you've been using ChatGPT with the API, this access will also be deleted. Delete account Cancel 595 12 1K 12K 1hl 4M
October 2, 2025 at 10:47 PM
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Oct. 2, 2025 Updated 1:18 p.m. ET President Trump has decided that the United States is engaged in a formal "armed conflict" with drug cartels his team has labeled terrorist organizations and that suspected smugglers for such groups are "unlawful combatants," the administration said in a confidential notice to Congress this week. The notice was sent to several congressional committees and obtained by The New York Times. It adds new detail to the administration's thinly articulated legal rationale for why three U.S. military strikes the president ordered on boats in the Caribbean Sea last month, killing all 17 people aboard them, should be seen as lawful rather than murder. Mr. Trump's move to formally deem his campaign against drug cartels as an active armed conflict means he is cementing his claim to extraordinary wartime powers, legal specialists said. In an armed conflict, as defined by international law, a country can lawfully kill enemy fighters even when they pose no threat, detain them indefinitely without trials and prosecute them in military courts.
October 2, 2025 at 10:18 PM
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& Reposted by Brooke Daniel Drezner • @dandrezner.bs... • 55m Mother of God. www.washingtonpost.com/ national-sec... The timing of the event has been of particular concern: The speech is se for Sept. 30, the last day of the fiscal year. If there is a government shutdown, it could leave key staff stranded in Virginia as military commands across the globe are juggling the security implications of Russia's war against Ukraine, Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza and the continued threat to U.S. personnel in the Middle East, where the Houthis and other Iranian-backed militias continue to fire missiles and drones at U.S. interests. 37 € 189 470 • ••
September 26, 2025 at 9:28 PM
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R Rolling Stone O @rollingstone.com Follow Elon Musk's estranged father, Errol Musk, is facing several allegations of child sex abuse involving five of his children and stepchildren. Elon Musk's Estranged Father Accused of Child Sex Abuse Elon Musk's estranged father Errol Musk is facing accusations that he sexually abused five of his chil... @ www.rollingstone.com September 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM @ Everybody can reply
September 24, 2025 at 1:35 AM
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Robin Niblett, former director of the nonpartisan research group Chatham House, said, "Vance and his followers believe they are in the vanguard of a revolution in Western identity to a true one, which is a Judeo-Christian West that is being diluted and undermined by a valueless new normality propagated by self-questioning elites." "So, yes," he added, "they are after regime change in Europe." Luuk van Middelaar, a Dutch historian and former European official, compared the Trump officials to a right-wing Comintern, the Soviet organization that promoted world communism.
September 21, 2025 at 5:17 PM
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Early on, Ta-Nehisi Coates observed, "We are at a moment right now where people are asking themselves why can't the Democratic Party defend this assault on democracy ... and I would submit to you that if you can't draw the line at genocide, you probably can't draw the line at democracy."
September 21, 2025 at 3:16 PM
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Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, "same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam "Shifty" Schiff, Leticia??? They're all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done." Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That's why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many layers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT 423 ReTruths 1.13k Likes Sep 20, 2025, 6:31 PM
September 20, 2025 at 11:07 PM